SL vs ENG 2021: Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow recalled, Ben Stokes rested as England cricket team name squad for Sri Lanka tour
England cricket team have named a 16-man squad for their two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which will take place next month. Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach are among those who have been recalled to the side. Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes have both been rested as the selectors look to manage their workloads.
Rory Burns and Ollie Pope will also miss the series, with the former's wife expecting their first child, and the latter suffering from a shoulder injury. Jonny Bairstow is back in the squad in Pope's absence, having not played a Test match since 2019. Adil Rashid misses out on the squad despite impressive performances in limited-overs cricket for England. The spin attack will be spearheaded by Moeen Ali, Jack Leach and Dom Bess.
The series will get underway on January 14, with both Test matches set to be played at the Galle International Stadium. England cricket team were due to play Sri Lanka in March, but the tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the touring party will head to the island on January 02. They will train for five days at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, before travelling to Galle for the two-Test series. The last time England and Sri Lanka faced off was in 2018, when the 2019 World Cup winners completed a clean sweep.
This will be England cricket team's penultimate series as part of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship. After taking on Sri Lanka, England will travel to India for a four-match Test series which begins in February. England are currently third in the ICC WTC standings, just behind India who are second on the table.
England cricket team's 16-man squad for the Sri Lanka tour will be joined by seven reserves, including Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood.
England cricket team squad for two-Test series against Sri Lanka
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonnny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood